Media release

Date: March 06, 2000

Three Great Teachers

The UVic Alumni Association has selected this year's recipients of
its Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Edward Berry (English),
Prof. Elsie Chan (sociology), and Dr. Richard King (Pacific and Asian
studies) come from different academic fields but their approaches to
education have common threads of innovation, enthusiasm and
dedication.

"Teaching is a collaborative effort É so my students deserve at
least half the credit for the award," says Berry, a Shakespearean who
has been with the UVic English department since 1975. Berry also
conducts highly regarded seminars for judges to help them improve the
writing skills they apply to their written reasons for judgement.
Several judges who've taken his seminar wrote letters supporting
Berry's nomination.
In less than two years since becoming a sessional instructor, Chan is
already something of a legend in the UVic sociology department. "I
would be failing if not for Elsie," is commonly heard among her
students, especially those in the demanding and mandatory
introductory statistics course for sociology undergrads.
"I place great emphasis on the importance of developing an
understanding of the purpose of learning," says Chan. "I believe in
setting reasonable and attainable goals, and I also seek to encourage
each student to recognize their individual potential."
Walk into one of Richard King's first-year Chinese language courses
and you'll find a kaleidoscope of technology and culture that might
include Asian rock-and-roll, students acting out skits, and even
stuffed animals loaned by the professor's kids.
"Essentially, I'll use anything that keeps students' attention in a
two-hour class," says King, who chairs the Pacific and Asian studies
department. "I have had students watching Chinese TV news and variety
shows delivered by satellite, finding news stories and magazine
articles from throughout the Chinese-speaking world on the Web É and
I've tried to incorporate new Chinese cinema and popular music into
courses on both language and literature."
The UVic Alumni Association will host a special reception to
recognize the Excellence in Teaching award winners on Wednesday,
March 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery,
University Centre.